Kingdom Hearts: The Soldier of Darkness - Final Mix
by Broncozfan623
Summary: After failing to reclaim Riku's heart in Castle Oblivion, Ansem devises a whole new plan: create a new vessel with Riku's darkness. After being created though, nobody expected this supposed-to-be vessel to forge his own path... (Remake) (Eventual OC/Xion)
1. Chapter 1

_**Play: Dearly Beloved - KH 358/2 Days**_

* * *

**Hello. My name is Broncozfan623. You may already know me, you may not. That doesn't really matter. What does matter is the things you need to know before you read this.**

**1) This is a complete remake of my story, "Kingdom Hearts: The Soldier of Darkness." If you read the original, that's awesome. It's nice to see you again. If you didn't, then I'd like to welcome you. I hope you'll stay for the whole ride.**

**2) This story is an AU that begins during Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days and goes to the end of Kingdom Hearts 2. If you haven't played or watched the cutscene movie of either, then it is highly advised that you do.**

**3) If you know me, you know I like to focus on three main things when it comes to my Kingdom Hearts stories: Story, Combat, and Music. I like to integrate all three into my writing, and I will here.**

**4) This story revolves around my OC, who's name I will not reveal at the moment. You'll either be seeing him again, or meeting him for the first time.**

**5) Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this story, except for my OC. Everything else belongs to Square Enix and Disney.**

**6) Fair warning to new readers: As stated earlier, this is a complete remake of "The Soldier of Darkness." This story is NOT the same as the original. Don't worry, the original isn't going anywhere. Think of this as something new based on an original source material (like a fanfic of a fanfic...by the same author. That sounds a lot dumber after I write it down). If you're new, this a whole new experience for you. I hope you'll stay for the entire ride.**

**There. That's out of the way. Now, off you go. Enjoy yourself.**

* * *

_**Stop: Dearly Beloved - KH 358/2 Days**_

_**Play: Sanctuary - KH2**_

**Note: ****Did someone say...intro cutscene? **(It's just KH2's opening scene with a change at the end, so it's nothing much.)

* * *

_First, you see a younger Kairi, sitting on the beaches of Destiny Islands. She's fiddling with some shells, five of them that form the shape of a star._

_You can also see another seashell, with a different shape, get washed away into the ocean._

_..._

_The scene transitions. Now it's the original trio. Sora, Riku, and Kairi, gathered at the curved tree on their home, watching the sunset. Sora is talking with Kairi._

_Then, she fades away. Suddenly, Riku fades away as well. Sora is alone on the island._

_He throws himself off of the tree, as the island itself fades away._

_..._

_Sora lands on a platform, in a world known as Hollow Bastion. He's holding a weapon now, a sword in the shape of a large key. The legendary Keyblade._

_Two figures stand at his stand, anthropomorphic animals that wield a staff and shield respectively. The one wielding the staff is known as Donald Duck, the other one is Goofy._

_Many platforms are higher above the three heroes. They were black creatures, with yellow eyes and two antennae on their heads. They are called the Heartless._

_..._

_Sora jumps up onto one of the platforms, where three Heartless stand. Right as he lands, his Keyblade strikes down one of the Heartless. With two more strikes, he takes down the other two. He jumps onto another platform, and runs up a set of stairs._

_At the top of the stairs, he sees a girl laying on the ground, not moving. It's Kairi, seemingly sound asleep. Sora runs to her side, and tries to wake her up, but she doesn't._

_Sora looks behind him, and sees someone standing there. A boy in a black and blue outfit with a silver skirt, also a head of silver hair. It was his old friend, Riku._

_Riku puts his hand out towards Sora, as the area they were in changes. Now, they were back on the beaches of Destiny Islands. A massive wave was heading towards the beach, directly behind Riku._

_Sora runs towards him, but not in order to save him from the coming wave. His Keyblade is in his hands, and he's swinging towards Riku._

_His blade clashes with Riku's, and Sora swings at him, with Riku flipping backwards. When he's about to land, he morphs into a new person._

_A tan-skinned man replaces him. He was silver hair, like Riku, but his eyes are now orange instead of blue._

_He is what our heroes called Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness._

_Sora jumps at him, swinging his Keyblade down._

_..._

_Out of nowhere, a massive white door. The door to Kingdom Hearts, and Ansem thought it would fill him with the power of darkness._

_However, he was dead wrong. Blasts of light shot from the door, blinding him. As Sora said, Kingdom Hearts was indeed light._

_Ansem was destroyed, and Riku is trapped on the other side of this strange door. He speaks to Sora one last time, before the door is shut and eventually locked._

_..._

_Sora is then seen standing in the same area where he found Kairi and fought Riku. He's falling backwards, and then a glowing light appears from his chest. A tiny ball of light comes out of his chest. His heart. it has just left his body._

_Then we see Kairi and Sora standing together, Sora's arms around her, as particles of light come from his figure._

_..._

_Transition. Kairi is now standing alone, on Destiny Islands, staring out into the vast ocean. Out of nowhere, the sun goes away, and it's now nighttime._

_Suddenly, small particles of light begin to fall around Kairi and the island. She sees Sora in front of her, as he says his last words before they lose sight of one another. _

_Kairi continues to stare out into the abyss, as the particles of light continue to fall onto the beach._

_..._

_Then, the sky goes back to day, and now Kairi has changed. She's grown a lot taller, her hair is now longer, and she's wearing a new outfit. She's now wearing a pink minidress with a white shirt underneath and white shoes. She continues to stare out into the ocean._

_She looks down and seems to speak to herself, but out of nowhere, another girl appears, uttering the same words as Kairi._

_Another transition, and there's a new area and that same girl. She's wearing a white dress and has short blonde hair. Much like her outfit, the room she's in is entirely white. The walls, the floor, the chair she's sitting in, the table in the center of the room, even the vase that sits on said table._

_This girl is holding a sketchbook, and on the page it's flipped to, there is a long, spiraling staircase._

_You can now see that spiraling staircase. Sora, Donald and Goofy are all running up it, Sora swiping away at any Heartless he gets close to._

_He ends up running past one, which Goofy ends up smashing it with his shield. Donald then runs up, jumping into the air while holding his staff up._

_Sora runs towards some Heartless, but they're all defeated by Donald's thunder spell. He looks into the smoke from the defeated Heartless, and see's two figures there. One of them is in odd looking red robes, and the other is in a black coat._

_..._

_Sora then appears in the halls of a castle, a castle with only white walls. He looks ahead of him, and there's a man in a black coat, with pink hair and holding a large pink scythe, is standing there. Sora runs at him, avoiding both swipes from the scythe._

_Not only that, but you can also see Riku in the same looking hall of the castle. Instead of a man in a black coat, he is battling Ansem. He runs at Ansem, and ends up stabbing towards his chest._

_Sora throws his Keyblade at the man he's facing, and it appears to meet its target._

_The scene changes, and Sora is running up the staircase again. Riku is running up the staircase as well, but from the other side. Sora is accompanied by Donald and Goofy, and Riku by King Mickey._

_..._

_Back to the room with the girl in white. She looks up from her sketchpad, and sees Sora opening the door and entering the room. He isn't able to do or say anything to the girl before he's trapped in some sort of weird pod._

_He places his hands on the walls, looking at the girl on the outside. She appears to say something, but her words cannot be deciphered._

_Sora's eyes begin to shut, and he falls back into the white abyss of the pod..._

_..._

_He's then seen flying through the air, towards the islands of his home._

_The girl in white reappears, looking into her sketchbook, showing an image of Sora sleeping. She closes the sketchbook as the scene changes again._

_Sora is now laying on his home island, with Kairi to his left, and Riku to his right, their hands interlocked with one another._

_..._

_Then, something shoots out from underneath Riku. A person falls through the void below._

_He has the same hair style as Riku, but it's much shorter and brown rather than silver. His outfit is also completely different. He's wearing a black vest with a hood on the back, a white t-shirt underneath, a black wristband on his right wrist, black pants and black shoes._

_He continues to fall, and finally ends up opening his eyes, showing they're a shade of brown. He lands on a platform looking out into the area he's in._

_He takes one step forward, and a bright light appears. The platform clears, and is now becoming visible, the fragments of what covered the platform taking the shape of birds._

_He watches the birds fly off into the unknown, as the platform is fully revealed. Riku is displayed there, holding his signature sword (named Soul Eater), with Sora, Kairi, King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy in circles by his figure. There's also a shot of the islands in the back._

_The final shot is set in a strange world. A tall clock tower in a town, a sunset out in the distance._

_..._

_Scene Ends_

* * *

_**Stop: Sanctuary - KH2  
**_

_**Play: Villains of a Sort - KH1**_

* * *

He brought his fist up, punching the wall hard.

"Blast that boy and that meddlesome mouse king!"

Ansem had been defeated by Riku, after Castle Oblivion. He was now locked in Riku's heart, without any control.

He couldn't come up and try to take over anymore. He couldn't even make himself known to Riku anymore. Riku had full control now, and Ansem was left to just sit and punch walls.

"If only there was something I could do...try and create a new vessel for me..."

He started to think, "Yes, yes that might work. I need an empty vessel, one filled with darkness and _only_ darkness."

He started grinning devilishly, "Yes, this will work perfectly."

Ansem started laughing lightly, then it got louder as time wore on.

* * *

_**Stop: Villains of a Sort - KH1**_

* * *

In the back alley of a world, a world in the realm between light and darkness, all is peaceful.

Out of nowhere, a pool of darkness forms on the ground. This pool morphs, until it takes shape.

It morphs into a person, the one that you saw earlier. The one in black clothes with the brown hair.

...

He finally wakes, sitting up slowly. He looks around the surrounding area before standing up.

He struggles to stand lightly, as he's still a little groggy and light-headed. He puts a hand up to his head, while looking at his other hand.

He walks forward slowly, going to assess the area he was in.

* * *

**Entered New World: Twilight Town**

* * *

_**Play: The Afternoon Streets - KH2**_

* * *

"What...is this place?" He said to himself, "Where am I?"

He moved his hand down in front of him, "My head hurts so badly...and I can't remember a thing..."

A tram passed in front of him, bringing him out of his thoughts.

He crossed his arms over his chest, "Why can't I remember anything? Did I lose my memory?"

After looking around the area, he walked to his right.

He started talking to himself in his head.

_"Okay, I remember waking up...and that's it. That can't be everything, right?"_

_"Also, I feel...hollow. I can't feel anything...ugh, apart from this raging migraine."_

_"But I should be able to remember something, right?"_

_"Okay, think. Think hard."_

…

He thought for a little longer, but just shook his head,_ "Ah, it's no use. I can't remember anything."_

_"Maybe someone in town can help me? Couldn't hurt to ask, right?"_

He was close to a store, and walked over. A woman was standing at the counter, and smiled to him as he walked up.

"Hi there! Oh, you look new! What's your name?"

He waved to her, "That's...a good question. I have no idea."

The woman's smile faded, "Oh no! You've lost your memory? That's terrible!"

"I guess so, but I'm not really sure. Everything is just so confusing..."

"Well, if you need anything, just feel free to ask around. I'm sure there's somebody that may be able to give you some help."

She was smiling at him, and he just said, "That's good to hear. Thanks."

"Glad I could help."

He walked off, thanking the woman again.

_"This is so_ weird..." He said in his head.

…

He wandered into a different area. Benches surrounded a flat, empty area. There was a group of four standing on the other side, far from him.

"Maybe they know something..." He said, walking towards them.

One of them noticed him getting closer, and pointed him out to the other three.

They all turned around, stopping him dead in his tracks with their glares (not literally). If looks could kill, he'd be on the ground right now.

"Umm...hi." He said lightly, giving a small wave.

The guy in front, who seemed to be their de facto leader, looked him over, "Who's this guy? You new?"

"Well, I guess you could sa-,"

The guy in front cut him off, "Whatever. Go bother somebody else, loser."

The guy behind him spoke, "Yeah! Seifer doesn't talk to losers like you, y'know!"

"Scram." The girl said. The fourth in the group remained silent.

He smartly backed off, "Whoa, settle down. I'm not looking for any trouble..."

"Then leave and go bother someone else! You want something, go ask those three half-pints in the back alley."

"Okay. Fine. I'll leave you guys alone." He walked off to his left, walking a bit faster than before.

…

He walked into the back alley, past an open fence gate back behind some buildings.

Pushing the tarp that covered the entrance, he entered the small room. Three people were already inside, and were all startled when he entered.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to intrude." He said, noticing one of the boys (there were two boys and one girl) get up.

They looked him over, the boy to his right speaking, "Who are you? Did Seifer and his gang send you to mess with us?"

"Seifer? Is that his name?"

"So you ARE with him."

"What? No! I'm just...ugh, I'm sorry. I'm just looking around town, and I made my way here. I ran into that Seifer guy, but he just told me off."

The girl spoke to the boy, "Relax, Hayner. Do you really think Seifer would just tell a random guy to show up and mess with us?"

"Hayner" looked a bit skeptical, but did stand down. The girl spoke again, "Sorry about him, I'm Olette. This is Pence and that's Hayner."

Pence waved hello, "I've never seen you around Twilight Town before. You new?"

"You could say that..."

"So, what's your name, new guy?" Hayner asked him.

He crossed his arms over his chest, "That's...a good question. I don't even know if I HAVE one."

"That's nonsense! Everyone's gotta name." Hayner responded.

"I'm sure I do, but...as of right now, I have no idea what it is or what it could be."

Pence spoke up this time, "Well, you could try the old mansion."

"Where's that?"

"Go to the Tram Common until you find a hole in the wall. It's a short walk through the woods after that."

"Alright. Thanks Hayner, Pence, Olette."

"Good luck!" Olette said as he left.

* * *

_**Stop: The Afternoon Streets - KH2**_

* * *

He was walking through the woods when he heard sounds from behind him. Ruffling in the leaves.

He turned back, looking for the cause of the sound. There was nothing.

Little did he know, that white creatures were watching him, advancing closer to him as he approached the mansion.

…

He reached the mansion, noticing the gate was locked. The place also looked worn to hell, as if it hadn't been lived in in decades.

He sighed, "Another dead end..."

After he said that, he heard another sound from behind him. He turned quickly, see a strange white creature appear, along with four more behind that one.

"What...are you?" He said, not getting a response.

They started advancing on him slowly, and he backed up. After only a few steps, his back hit the gate of the mansion.

He was sure that that would've been the end of it.

The white creatures stopped advancing. They parted, and a dark portal appeared a few feet behind them.

* * *

_**Play: Organization XIII - KH2**_

* * *

A second later, a man in a black coat appeared out of the portal, and walked towards him.

He waved his hand, and the white creatures dispersed.

The guy in black spoke in a deep, low voice, "You seek answers."

"Uhh, yeah...I guess..."

The man spoke again, "I can give you purpose. I can give the answers you seek."

"Would you like to know?" The man asked him.

He nodded.

…

The man waved his hand, a bunch of letters appearing in front of him. They spelt out something, a name probably.

R - I - K - U. Riku.

_"Who's...Riku? That name sounds familiar..."_

The man then waved his hand, and the letters started to spin all around him. They stopped when he put his hand out again, a massive X separating the four in half.

It spelled out a new name.

K - I - R - U - X.

Kirux.

"Kirux..." He said lightly.

"That is right," The man said, "The new you."

He then put his hand out for Kirux, "Now join me, and I will give you all the answers you seek..."

Kirux looked at his hand for a second, before nodding lightly.

"I...will join you."

"Very well..."

The turned back to the dark portal, "Come. You have much to learn...Kirux."

He entered the portal, and Kirux entered right behind him.

…

Meanwhile, a person was watching through one of the windows of the mansion. A girl with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a long white dress.

"Oh no," she said, "DiZ and Riku are NOT going to like this..."

* * *

**There. We're in this now. No turning back...**

**Welcome to "The Soldier of Darkness: Remastered." I hope you'll all join me for this ride, because it's gonna be a good one.**

**Make sure to follow and favorite if you want to stay updated, and leave a review telling me your thoughts.**

**Thanks, and I'll see you next time.**

**-Broncozfan623**


	2. Chapter 2

**Yeah, so uh...I didn't expect this to get as much attention as it did. Most of the follows and favorites are from new people, which I love. Thanks to all who followed and favorited, new and old.**

**Now after this, I'm gonna start a schedule. A new chapter of this won't come out until after I post the next chapter of "Warriors of the Light" (which might get its own remaster in the future). So I'll be alternating between this and "WOTL".**

**Get it? Got it? Good. Let's go.**

* * *

_**Play: Sacred Moon - KH 358/2 Days**_

* * *

Soon after the guy in black had taken him through the dark corridor, Kirux had been passed on to a different man in the same black coat. The guy had long, blue hair, and a massive X-shaped scar on his face.

The first guy in black said something to him, and the second one then waved Kirux along with him. Kirux followed without asking any questions.

He led Kirux to a room, a bedroom to be more exact. The man turned around, holding out something to Kirux.

"Take this," he said, "You are one of us now, and you'll need to wear this at all times."

Kirux took it from him, looking it over. It was the coat, only in his size. It came with the coat, a pair of black pants, black boots, and black gloves.

The guy continued, so Kirux looked back up at him, "Whenever you're done in here, come to the Grey Area. We'll continue from there."

He walked out of the room, leaving Kirux alone.

Kirux looked back down at the coat, "I have to wear this at all times, huh?"

He shrugged, starting to get changed.

…

…

…

He adjusted the glove on his right hand, finally done.

"Okay. All finished." He said, looking over himself.

"That guy said to head to the "Grey Area" when I was done."

He crossed his arms over his chest, "If only he had told me where that was..."

"I guess I can check to castle out while I look for it. That doesn't sound too bad."

He exited his room, walking down the hall.

…

_"This place doesn't seem so bad,"_ He said to himself, _"Everything being white is kind of odd, but overall, not bad."_

He walked up a staircase, _"I wonder how many other people there are in this place, in this group. They never even told me what this is all about, or what this empty feeling was about."_

_"Why do I feel so...hollow? It's almost as if I'm missing something..."_

_"There's a lot that I don't know, and nobody has even offered to tell me anything."_

_"Here's hoping that changes."_

…

He entered this one large room, a massive glass window taking up then entirety of the far wall. There were couches, chairs, and tables scattered throughout the room, and he noticed a group of three sitting around one of them.

Another one of them was standing over by the glass, staring out into the emptiness.

Kirux walked in, looking around, when somebody called out to him to his left, "Well would you look at that? Lord Xemnas got us another newbie!"

He looked over, seeing the three men sitting at the table were all looking at him. One had a long ponytail, a scar, and an eyepatch over his right eye. The second one had blonde hair and a goatee with the same color, and piercings in his left ear. The last one had dirty-blond hair in a mullet style, with bangs falling down over his face.

Kirux looked around, then pointed a finger at himself in a "You talking to me?" gesture.

"Well, you just gonna stand there?" The eyepatch guy said. Kirux walked over to them, seeing that they were playing some sort of card game.

…

"So, um..." Kirux said lightly, but couldn't think of what else to say.

"Man, your less talkative then Roxas was when he first joined." The mullet one said.

"Cut the new one some slack. If Xemnas was willing to bring him on board, then he must have a reason." The one with the piercings said, shuffling the cards in his hands.

"So, what's your name kid?" Eyepatch Guy asked Kirux.

"Oh, it's Kirux."

"Well Kirux. Welcome to Organization XIII. The name's Xigbar."

Xigbar pointed to the piercings guy, "He's Luxord, and that's Demyx."

Luxord said, "Greetings," while Demyx said, "Nice to meet you, Kirux."

Kirux waved at both of them, "So...you mentioned a "Lord Xemnas." Who's that?"

"He's the number one," Luxord said, "Call him "The Superior" or "Lord Xemnas." Use either or."

"So is he the one with the blue hair? The one that gave me this coat?"

"No," Demyx spoke up, "That guy's Saïx. He's Xemnas's second in command."

"After your introduced to the other members, someone will show you how things roll around here. For now, just hang around until we're called in." Xigbar said, saying "Call" and throwing some yellow orbs onto the table ahead of them.

…

Kirux turned around, noticing the guy was still standing by the window.

He walked over to him, not saying anything. He cleared his throat, which got the guy's attention.

He turned around, looking down at Kirux. He had a large set of fiery red hair, and two distinct markings under his eyes.

"Umm...hi?" Kirux said, waving halfheartedly.

The guy just continued to stare at him, looking him up and down.

_"This could not be more_ awkward..." Kirux thought to himself.

…

Eventually, the guy smiled at him, "So, you must be the new guy Saïx told me about."

"Huh?"

"Don't worry about it. Anyways, the name's Axel. A - X - E - L."

He then pointed a finger towards his temple, "Got it memorized?"

Kirux crossed his arms over his chest, visibly confused.

"Look, just remember the name, okay? Now, pop quiz. Who's the number one in this group?"

Kirux thought for a second, "Those are guys said his name was Xemnas..."

"Okay, and what about his number two? The guy that gave you the coat?"

"They said his name was Saïx."

"Good job. Now, what's _my_ name?"

"Axel."

Axel clapped once, "Perfect. You're off to a great start."

Then he thought of something, "Oh, wait! I never bothered asking what your name was...my bad."

"It's fine. Kirux, by the way."

Axel put a hand on his waist, "Okay Kirux. So, you ready to meet the rest of the members?"

"I guess, but...where do we even go?"

"Don't worry. Saïx tasked me with making sure you don't get lost. Now come on, the rest will meet us there."

Axel walked past him, and Kirux followed.

* * *

_**Pause: Sacred Moon - KH 358/2 Days**_

* * *

"Good tidings, friends. Today is a momentous day."

All of the Organization members were sitting in their respective seats.

Xemnas was speaking, "Following the loss of many of our comrades at Castle Oblivion and the disappearance of No. XIV, I am pleased to announce that a new comrade has been chosen to join our ranks and wear the coat."

Their attention was then brought to the center platform, where a person in the black coat was standing.

He walked into the center, his face concealed from the hood.

He brought his hands up to the hood and threw it back, revealing his face.

"I introduce to you...No. XV, Kirux."

…

Kirux looked up, seeing all of the members he already had seen. Xigbar, Axel, et cetera.

One that he didn't recognize caught his eye though.

He was staring at Kirux intently. Kirux didn't look directly at him, but was able to see him through quick glances.

He had spiky blonde hair, blue eyes, and...for some reason, Kirux thought he'd seen him before.

When he did finally look up, he had already left the room. In fact, many of the members were dispersing.

Axel appeared in front of him, "Alright. Now follow me back to the Grey Area."

Kirux nodded, following right behind Axel.

* * *

_**Play: Sacred Moon - KH 358/2 Days**_

* * *

"Hey Axel, can I ask you something?"

"Sure. Fire away."

"This group is called Organization XIII, right?"

Axel looked down at him, "Yeah. Why?"

"Well, Xemnas said I was number fifteen. But when I looked around in that room, a lot of the chairs were empty. Did something happen to any of the other members?"

Axel sighed, "Unfortunately, yeah. We lost a bunch of them a little while back. I guess after they were taken out, Xemnas wanted to start filling the ranks again."

"So, why give me a new number?"

"Posterity maybe? I don't know. The higher ups just love to keep their secrets."

They had reached the Grey Area again, and Saïx was standing at the far end. He looked at Axel, and talked to him.

"You remember what your orders are?" He asked Axel.

"Of course I do. Show him the basics. I did the same thing with Roxas."

"Make sure you depart soon. Lord Xemnas wants him in the field as quickly as possibly."

"Alright, fine. We'll get on with it."

He looked down at Kirux, "You and I are gonna go for a little walk. Come on."

"Okay, I guess." Kirux responded, as Axel put his hand up and opened one of those dark corridors.

Axel walked through, and Kirux followed behind.

* * *

_**Stop: Sacred Moon - KH 358/2 Days**_

_**Play: Lazy Afternoons - KH Re:COM**_

* * *

Axel and Kirux walked out of the portal, back in Twilight Town. This was an area Kirux hadn't been in before.

Axel turned back to Kirux, "Okay, so lets go over the basics of what you will be doing on missions."

"Okay."

Axel began, "Missions are, well...umm..."

He ran his hand through his hair, as Kirux crossed his arms in confusion.

"You know what? Talking is dumb. Let's just get our hands dirty, okay?"

Kirux shrugged, while Axel responded, "Alright. Now follow me."

He went off, and Kirux went to follow him.

…

Axel jumped onto a higher ledge, looking down at Kirux, "Hop on up. Get yourself moving."

Kirux ran over, and tried to jump up onto the ledge. He didn't quite reach the ledge, but grabbed it and brought himself up.

"Good job." Axel said to him.

"Thanks."

"But don't go thinking you can just run and jump your way through every mission. You've gotta be aware."

"What does that mean?" Kirux asked him.

"You hafta look around. Sometimes what you're after is sitting right under your nose. Got it memorized?"

"I think so, yeah."

"Alright then, time for a little test. There's something I've hidden inside these passages. I want you to find it."

Kirux was confused, "That's it?"

"That's it. Just don't hurt yourself, and remember to look around."

"Okay. I'll find it."

Kirux walked past Axel, and Axel followed.

…

Kirux was looking around the passages, and came across a wooden crate.

"Is this what you wanted me to find?" He asked Axel.

"Kirux, did you really think it would be that easy?"

"Umm...yes?"

Axel smirked, "No Kirux. This isn't what I want you to find."

Kirux frowned, "Okay..."

He went to keep looking, but Axel called out, "Aren't you gonna find out what's in this thing?"

Kirux turned back, "But you said that-,"

"I know, but even then, you never know what you're gonna find. Come on, bust open that crate and lets see what's inside."

Kirux just stood there, not understanding what he was saying.

Axel motioned him towards the crate, "Come on. Open it up."

"Umm...how?"

"Don't you have a weapon?"

"No, not that I know of."

Axel sighed, saying something to himself under his breath, "Okay, fine. I guess we'll do this now. Put your hand out."

Kirux did that, "Now, just wait. Deep down, you've got a special power inside of you. Find it, and it'll take shape."

Kirux nodded to him, and closed his eyes.

_"Deep down...there's something inside me..."_

…

After a few seconds, Kirux heard a strange sound, and he felt something appear in his hand.

When he opened his eyes, there was an odd looking sword in his hand. It had a blue, purple, and red blade that looked like a demonic wing. The handle was black, and had a large eye connecting the two.

Axel clapped, smiling, "There you go! I knew you could do it."

He stopped clapping, "Now, open this thing up."

Kirux nodded, bringing the sword up, and smashing it into the crate. It shattered, dropping an item.

"Well, would you look at that? You found yourself a Potion." Axel said.

Kirux picked it up, "What does it do?"

"It'll give you your strength back when your in a pinch. Hold onto it, you're gonna need it eventually."

Kirux nodded, "Okay." He put the Potion in his pocket, and he and Axel continued into the tunnels.

…

…

…

Kirux noticed something up the path to his right. It was a treasure chest.

"Ooh." He said, running up to it. Axel followed behind him.

Kirux turned to him, "Is this it?"

Axel smiled, "Yep. Good job, Kirux."

"So...what now?"

"Well, open it."

"How?"

"Use your sword. Be more gentile with this thing though."

Kirux nodded, and pulled his sword back out. He tapped the chest, and it opened.

Kirux pulled another Potion out of it, and put it in his pocket with the other.

"Good work!" Axel said to him, "You can keep that stuff you found. Now, time to RTC."

"RTC?"

"Return To the Castle. Now, lead the way back to the dark corridor that brought us here, okay?"

Kirux nodded, and him and Axel walked off.

…

They easily made their way back to the dark corridor.

Axel started clapping again, "Bravo, Kirux. So, ya think you got the hang of all this mission stuff?"

"Yeah. I think I've got it."

"Good. You're a lot more confident than Roxas was when I went through this with him."

He put his hands together, "Now, no successful mission is complete without a little icing on the cake. Come with me."

Kirux was confused again (Axel was good at that), "Wait...don't we need to RTC?"

Axel looked back, "We can go later. There's someplace I want you to see. Now come on."

Kirux, no matter how confused, did follow.

* * *

_**Stop: Lazy Afternoons - KH Re:COM**_

_**Play: At Dusk, I Will Think of You... - KH 358/2 Days**_

* * *

Axel and Kirux were up on the clock tower, hundreds of feet above ground.

Axel handed something over to Kirux, "Here ya go. The icing on the cake."

Kirux took it. It was a light blue ice cream bar.

"What's this?" Kirux asked Axel.

"It's sea-salt ice cream. Go ahead, try it."

Kirux hesitated, but did take a bite.

"It's salty...but sweet."

"Yeah. You like it?"

Kirux nodded, "Yeah. It's...good."

…

"You've only been with us a few hours, and yet here you are." Axel said.

"What do you mean?"

"When Roxas showed up, he was here for a week before we started training him and he began going on missions. Xion was the same way."

"You keep talking about Roxas...but, who is that?"

Axel looked over, "He's the blonde haired guy you saw in the Round Room earlier. The one that was staring at you."

"Oh, he's Roxas?"

"Yeah. He's my friend. Once you meet him, he'll probably be your friend too."

"Huh," Kirux said, looking back out at the sunset, "Seems like a nice guy."

Axel just smiled in response.

…

"Axel, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, what's up?"

"Do you know why I feel so...hollow? I feel like I'm missing something on the inside, and I just can't figure out what it is."

He looked at Axel, "Do you know what it is?"

…

"How do I explain this..?" Axel said to himself.

"Huh?"

"Never mind. The reason you feel like that...is because you're a Nobody."

"A Nobody? What's a Nobody?"

"Basically, you're a being without a heart. You were once human, but lost your heart."

"I...lost my heart?"

Axel nodded, "Don't be hard on yourself. It happened to all of us."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Everyone in the Organization is a Nobody. We all lost our hearts, and now...we're trying to get them back."

Kirux looked down at his feet when Axel smiled again, "But hey. You don't need to worry about any of that right now. Just go through your missions everyday, and things will be fine."

"Okay."

…

After about twenty more minutes, Axel stood up, "Okay. We should head back now, before Saïx gets on my case."

"Okay."

Kirux stood up, following Axel as they left the clock tower and RTC'd.

* * *

_**Stop: At Dusk, I Will Think of You... - KH 358/2 Days**_

* * *

They didn't know it, but they were being watched.

In the old mansion, two men were watching Kirux and Axel through a computer screen.

"You guys see what I mean?" A girl said from the staircase. The girl in white, from behind.

One of the men, in the Organization's black coat, crossed his arms over his chest, "DiZ, what do you think?"

"DiZ" said nothing initially, but spoke after a few seconds, "I think you know what will need to be done -"

"- Riku."

* * *

**The train is leaving the station. Hop on board, sit back, grab some sea-salt ice cream, and lets enjoy the ride.**

**I hope you enjoyed this one. Please leave a review of your thoughts.**

**I'll see you all next time!**

**-Broncozfan623**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry this took a lot longer. I've gotten distracted way too many times in the past few weeks, and school is still kicking me where it hurts. But, I'm here now, so let's get this done.**

**Also, make sure you read the Author's Note at the end. Some important info.**

**I hope you all enjoy this one.**

* * *

_**Play: Sacred Moon - KH 358/2 Days**_

* * *

Kirux and Axel were walking down the halls, having just returned to the castle a few minutes prior.

Out of nowhere, someone yelled at them from behind, "Hey, Axel!"

The two of them turned around, and saw someone running up to the two of them.

Axel smiled as he came up to them, "Hey Roxas. We missed you at the clock tower today."

Roxas stopped a few feet in front of the two of them, "Sorry. Work was long today. I just got back a few minutes ago."

…

Roxas then turned to Kirux, "You must be the new guy. I'm Roxas, it's nice to meet you."

He put his hand out towards Kirux, who just stared at him in confusion.

"Y'know Kirux," Axel said, "Normally when someone extends their hand to you, you shake it."

"Huh? Oh, sorry." Kirux responded, knocking himself out of his confused daze, "I'm Kirux."

He grabbed Roxas's hand and shook it, like Axel said to.

Roxas pulled his hand back, "So Axel's the one training you too, huh?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Well, for today yes," Axel said, "He'll be paired with somebody else tomorrow."

"Really?" Kirux asked him.

"Yeah. Everyone's gotta pull their own weight around here. Saïx will let you know who you're with tomorrow morning."

Kirux frowned, "I thought you were the one that was training me..."

"I was...for today. Tomorrow, it'll be either Xigbar or Luxord. One or the other."

Axel ruffled Kirux's hair, "Don't worry. Once you're done, come back up to the clock tower and hang out with us."

"Us?"

"Yeah, me and Roxas. We're friends now."

"Friends? What does that mean?"

Roxas laughed, "You must be _really_ new."

"I've only been around for a few hours."

Axel put his hand on Kirux's shoulder, "Don't worry. Roxas and I will explain everything. Come back to the clock tower tomorrow after you're done, then we'll talk some more."

"For now though," Axel continued, "Get some rest. You're gonna learn to fight tomorrow."

Kirux went up to his door, "I guess I'll talk to you guys tomorrow then."

"Yeah. Talk to you tomorrow, Kirux." Roxas said, him and Axel walking down the hall.

…

Kirux went into his room, sitting down on his bed. He noticed the nightstand next to the bed, him reaching over and opening the drawer. There was a book inside, him pulling it out.

"Is this a journal or something?" He said to himself, opening it up to the first page.

He pulled out the pen that was next to the journal in the drawer, and started writing.

_Day 1:_

_Well, I guess I'm a part of Organization XIII. I've only been around for a few hours, and yet I still don't understand so much._

_At least I met Axel. He's the only one that's actually explained anything to me. He told me that I'm a Nobody and that I don't have a heart. Apparently, everyone in this group is a Nobody._

_But if we don't have hearts, how do we even exist? Don't people need hearts to live? Are we not even people at all? If I'm number fifteen, and there's only nine members left, what happened to the others?_

_What does Xemnas even want with me? Why was I chosen to be a part of the Organization?_

_There's also the thing with Riku. Who is Riku? Was my name Riku before I became Kirux? What caused me to lose my heart and become a Nobody?_

_I just hope that I can get answers. Whether I get it from Axel, the other members, or someone else._

He stopped writing, putting the journal and pen back in the nightstand.

"Man, I'm tired. I'd better get some sleep."

He laid down on his bed, and fell asleep a few minutes later.

* * *

_**Stop: Sacred Moon - KH 358/2 Days**_

* * *

Riku walked down into the computer room, with DiZ.

"So," he said, "You got a plan for that guy?"

"You mean your clone?"

"Who else would I be talking about? If he's with Organization XIII, then they've gotta have a good reason for bringing him in."

DiZ looked back towards his computer, "The main question...is how he was created..."

"Yeah. There's that too. They've been training him in town. If you want me to bring him in, I can."

DiZ didn't respond.

…

"Riku," he said, after a few seconds, "I want you to answer this question."

"What is it?" He said, as the girl in white walked in.

"You wear the blindfold to prevent yourself from releasing the darkness in your heart. Am I correct?"

"Yeah...so?"

"I want to take off the blindfold."

…

"But-,"

"Do it. I want to see something..."

Riku was hesitant, but he reached to the back of the blindfold, untying it and pulling it off.

He didn't open his eyes, and just waited.

Nothing happened.

Riku did open his eyes, surprised.

"What..?"

"As I suspected..." DiZ said, "Things are worse than I once thought..."

* * *

_**Four Days Later...**_

_**Play:**_ **_Sacred Moon - KH 358/2 Days_**

* * *

Kirux was walking to the Grey Area. He'd just finished his training yesterday with Xaldin. The day after he joined, he was taught about Heartless and how to fight by Xigbar, how to use magic with Luxord, how to perform recon with Demyx, and finally Limit Breaks with Xaldin the day before (getting punched in the face by him, but Kirux just shrugged it off).

He was upset to not get to go with Axel or Roxas, who he'd actually become friends (now that he understood what that meant). He learned that Roxas was special, and could wield something called the "Keyblade". The Organization used his and their fourteenth members Keyblades to collect hearts, and those hearts would be used to create "Kingdom Hearts." Once they did that, they would gain back their hearts and become people again.

Kirux didn't understand it the first time Axel explained it, but he cleared it up with him after so he understood.

…

Today was supposed to be Kirux's first real mission. After his training was finished, Saïx told him he'd have to start going on missions alone or with another member. He hoped his first would be with another member, specifically Roxas or Axel. Having a familiar face with him would be good to have.

He reached the Grey Area, seeing Roxas and Axel by the glass, talking with Saïx.

Kirux walked up, "Hey guys." He said as he approached.

Roxas turned back, "Hey Kirux. Your first mission is today, right?"

"Yep. What about you guys?"

Axel answered, "Roxas and I have been tasked with finding one of our missing members."

"Oh. So...what about me?"

"I'm sending you to a new world." Saïx said to him, "You'll be tasked with investigating the area, and bring back any and of your intel back here. You'll be going alone."

"You're sending him to a new world by himself?" Axel questioned him, "That seems a bit much for his first mission."

"There is nobody else I can send. It's either he goes, or nobody goes. Now, you two need to depart."

Axel gave him a glare, but just turned to Roxas, "Let's head out, Roxas. We've gotta go find Xion."

"Xion? Is that the one who went missing?"

"Yeah, that's her name. She's a friend of mine. We'll introduce you to her once we get back." Roxas said to Kirux.

"Huh. Cool. Well, good luck."

"You too."

Roxas nodded to Kirux, and he turned and walked into a dark corridor with Axel.

Saïx looked down at Kirux, "You need to head out now. Remember your mission."

"Got it."

Kirux opened a dark corridor, and entered.

* * *

_**Stop: Sacred Moon - KH 358/2 Days**_

* * *

Kirux exited, hearing the sounds of rushing waterfalls and stone underneath his feet.

He looked up, and gasped, "Whoa. What is this place?"

* * *

**Entered New World: Hollow Bastion**

* * *

_**Play: Hollow Bastion - KH Re:COM**_

* * *

He saw a bunch of floating platforms, as well as a massive castle in the distance. There was one large platform with a lift that he assumed would take him to the castle.

"Well, Saïx said to investigate. Guess he meant he wanted me to investigate the castle."

He took a deep breath, "Okay Kirux. This is your first mission. Let's make a good first impression. Okay? Okay. Let's do this."

Kirux ran forward, hopping up on the next platform. He kept jumping onto each platform until he reached the lift.

"This ought to take me to the castle." He said, stepping onto the lift.

It started up, and moved towards the castle.

…

…

…

The lift reached the castle, and Kirux stepped off. He then ran over to the castle doors.

"Okay, time to head inside." He pushed, but the doors didn't budge. He then tried pulling one of the handles, only for that to not work either.

He took a step back, "Well, that's just great. How am I supposed to get inside?"

Kirux started walking back towards the lift, but instead walked past it and headed down a path that led to another lift. This one took him down, and he was now in some strange corridors. The floor was flooded, but the walls all seemed to be intact.

"Maybe there's a switch to the front door down here." He said as he walked through.

After passing by some walls that needed to be moved by switches, he found himself at a large contraption on the wall.

Kirux walked up to a button on the wall, pressing on it. Soon after, there was a large rumbling.

"The doors must be open now. Time to head back up."

He turned around, heading back the way he came. He took the lift back to the castle entrance, running back to the castle doors.

They were opened now, and led down a dark hallway.

"Perfect."

Kirux entered the dark hallway, the massive doors closing behind him.

…

A smaller set of doors opened as he approached them, leading into the entrance hall.

Kirux walked up to the center of the room. There were two staircases that led to the same place, with a doorway being to the left and another one (supposedly) if you went straight from the door.

Kirux went to walk up the staircase to his left, but he felt...uneasy.

As if somebody was watching him.

He turned around, "Who's there?"

There was nobody around.

Kirux didn't know that Riku was hiding behind a column, watching him.

"If there's anybody there, come out now."

No response.

* * *

_**Stop: Hollow Bastion - KH Re:COM**_

_**Play: Scherzo Di Notte - KH Re:COM**_

* * *

Kirux heard something appear behind him, and when he turned back, a Heartless was right there.

He jumped back, just as more Heartless started appearing.

"Maybe it was the Heartless that were watching me."

He pulled his sword out, preparing himself to fight, "I hope Xigbar's training pays off..."

Riku peeked around the column he was behind, "He's even got my fighting style, and my weapon...let's see how he does..."

…

…

…

The closest Heartless to him lunged at Kirux, swinging its claws at him. Kirux stepped back, striking the Heartless down. It evaporated into dark smoke.

Two more came at him from above, so Kirux swung at them, dispersing them both with one swing. Another one came from above, but he just had to put his sword up and knock it back to the ground.

One of the Heartless shot a blast of fire at Kirux, who swatted it away and fired his own at the Heartless. However, this Heartless must have been resistant to fire, because the Heartless just absorbed the fireball like it was nothing.

The Heartless retaliated, summoning a thunder cloud above Kirux. A lightning bolt struck the ground directly in front of him, causing Kirux to stumble backwards.

Kirux ran up to that Heartless, striking down a fire ball the Heartless fired at him, and stabbed it through the chest. The Heartless dispersed, releasing a heart into the air.

More Heartless appeared around him, one carrying a shield with a large dog-like face. It lunged at Kirux, biting at him. Kirux hopped back, jumping to get behind it.

Kirux struck the Heartless from above, which didn't take it out, but did make it angry. It swung its shield back at Kirux, who dodged the attack and took the Heartless down with a Thunder spell.

The other two Heartless attacked Kirux at once, who rolled away from them, and took them both out with once slice.

* * *

_**Stop: Scherzo Di Notte - KH Re:COM**_

_**Play: Hollow Bastion - KH Re:COM**_

* * *

Kirux looked up, searching the area.

No more Heartless appeared.

His sword faded out of his hand, exhaling, "Whew. That went pretty well."

"Now, I can explore more of the castle."

He walked up the staircase, heading further into the castle.

Riku walked out from behind the column, "Well, he's definitely raw. But...not bad..."

He went to follow Kirux.

…

…

…

Kirux entered a new area, where there was a massive heart shaped...thing in the wall. It was glowing with a mixture of colors.

Kirux looked up into it, admiring the colors.

"I wonder what this place was used for."

…

Suddenly, a memory flashed through his head.

Kirux put his hand up to his head, "Ahh...what the-?"

"Have I...been here before? Why does this place feel so familiar?"

He let his hand fall, sighing, "Doesn't matter, maybe I can ask Axel about it later."

"Anyways, this looks like this is as far as I can go. Guess I can head back."

He turned to leave, "I wonder if Roxas and Axel are done with their mission. It'll be nice to meet Xion, gain another friend."

Kirux had left the hall when Riku resurfaced from the shadows again.

…

"He's remembering stuff...from _my_ memories?"

He sighed, "DiZ, I hope you know what you're doing..."

* * *

_**Stop: Hollow Bastion - KH Re:COM**_

* * *

Kirux was walking through the castle halls. Roxas and Axel weren't at the clock tower, so he assumed that they were either not done with their mission or had already come back.

And just his luck, he saw them walking towards him.

"Roxas! Axel!" He ran over to them.

"Oh, hey Kirux." Roxas smiled as he approached, "How did your first mission go?"

"Pretty good. The world they sent me to was weird, but the Heartless didn't give me any trouble."

"Well, good thing you made it through. There's someone we want you to meet." Axel said.

…

Axel turn back, "Come on. It's the new guy Roxas and I told you about."

The two of them split, and someone walked between them. It was a girl. She had short black hair, pale white skin, and blue eyes similar to Roxas's.

She didn't say anything to Kirux, just staring down at the floor.

Kirux just stared at her.

_"Wow, she's...she looks amazing."_

_"Wait, what am I saying? I don't have emotions..."_

Kirux rubbed his hair, "So, uh..."

"Come on, you two! Say hi to one another." Axel said.

…

Xion started, "Hi, I'm...my name's Xion."

Kirux smiled, "I'm Kirux."

He put his hand out, "It's nice to meet you."

Xion hesitated, but grabbed his hand and shook it.

She smiled at him, "It's nice to meet you too, Kirux."

Kirux said nothing, but his mind was going crazy.

_"Okay, what's going on? What is this I'm feeling? Axel said I couldn't feel anything! What's going on?! I'm freaking out, man!"_

He released Xion's hand, and Axel walked next to the two of them, "So, you two friends now?"

"I don't know...are we?" Xion asked Kirux.

Kirux nodded, "Yeah. If you're friends with Roxas and Axel, then of course we're friends."

Xion smiled at him, only making his mind go even crazier.

* * *

**I wanted to make a funnier ending, and I feel like I did that. It's basically "Kirux: *internal screaming*" lol.**

**Anyways, that important info I had was that I'm thinking about moving my stories and cross-posting them on Archives of Our Own (AO3 for short). I recently joined the site to try and gain more attention to my stories. So, if y'all wanna have more options to read my stories like "Warriors of the Light" or this, then they'll be on this site and AO3. If I end up cross-posting any of these, I'll let y'all know.**

**Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed. R&R, and I'll see you soon.**

**-Broncozfan623**


	4. Chapter 4

**Quick changes that were made. **

**1) The title was changed from "The Soldier of Darkness: Remastered" to "The Soldier of Darkness - Final Mix". I feel that it fits better. **

**2) The rating has changed to M for...reasons. Don't let your kids read this...if you have kids. **

**I wanna apologize for not updating this in a while. I got caught up with some other stories I've been working on.**

**Okay, now keep reading.**

* * *

_**Play: Lazy Afternoons - KH Re:COM**_

* * *

"What is our objective here again?" Kirux asked Axel as they were walking through the underground tunnels in Twilight Town.

Axel started stretching his arms out as he walked.

"Our objective is to find a certain Heartless, mark it, and then some day down the line, Roxas or Xion will come to town and take it out."

Axel then looked down at Kirux, "Simple enough, right?"

"I guess. I haven't really done enough missions to know that yet."

"Well, you've been with us for how long? Hasn't it been a week now?"

Kirux thought for a second, "Yeah, just about."

"You've done a lot more in this last week then a lot of us did our first times. Roxas and Xion didn't go out in the field until around this time, when they first joined.

…

"Speaking of," Kirux said, as they exited the tunnels and entered Station Heights, just underneath the clock tower, "Can I...ask you something...about Xion?"

Axel smiled, "What about her, pal?"

"I know you guys have explained everything to me about her, and what happened that day you guys went to go find her."

"Right. She lost her Keyblade, and hopefully her going on some missions with Roxas will help her getting it back."

"Yeah, all of that. But when I first met her, and...I uh..."

Axel was grinning, "I think I know what's going with you."

"Huh?"

"Come on, Ki. It was obvious. I could tell you were nervous from the beginning."

"Yeah, I was. But...I dunno why. When I met you and Roxas, I was fine. But then when I met Xion, I was..."

Axel interrupted him, rubbing Kirux's head like he was a puppy, "It just comes with meeting new people, Ki. Especially girls."

"Stop calling me that."

Axel just laughed at him, "Like I said, sometimes it's like that when meeting new people. But you and Xion get along well, do you?"

"I mean...yeah, I guess. About as well as I get along with you two."

"Good. You know, you've made a lot of progress since you've joined, with socializing and all of that."

Kirux looked up at him, "What do you mean?"

"Roxas would barely talk to anybody the first week he was a part of the Organization, same for Xion. Heck, the first time she ever talked was when she went on a mission with Roxas."

"Huh. I wonder why..."

"Beats me."

…

…

…

"Man, where is this thing?" Kirux said. They were in the Tram Common, just around the corner from where Kirux had been "born".

"I'm not sure, man. This is the hard thing about Heartless searching. I'm honestly happy that Roxas and Xion are Keyblade wielders."

"Why's that?"

"It means that now, guys like you and me don't have to go on missions like these as often anymore."

Axel continued as they walked towards the Sandlot, "Because they have Keyblades, they can simply track down a Heartless and take it down, all in one mission. But, with Xion not having her Keyblade, we've gotta do this."

Kirux just nodded, "Okay."

"You're not annoyed?"

"No. Why would I be?"

"Because these missions SUCK."

Kirux just shrugged, "But they're important, right? So, stop complaining and let's get it done."

"Man, you sound like Roxas."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

Axel grinned, "Don't worry about it."

* * *

_**Stop: Lazy Afternoons - KH Re:COM**_

* * *

Kirux and Axel entered the Sandlot. It was empty, much like the other areas.

"Not here either?" Axel said.

"Are you sure Saïx said to come to Twilight Town?"

"Yes, I'm sure!"

"Positive?"

"Kirux, I know where Saïx said to go. He said it was here."

Kirux turned around as Axel continued, "Now, if only we could find the damn thi-,"

"Found it."

"What?"

* * *

_**Play: Sinister Sundown - KH Re:COM**_

* * *

Kirux was pointing up at the Heartless, as it flew above them in a circle.

It then flew down towards them, Axel and Kirux both jumping to avoid getting flattened by it.

It roared at them, as they both stood up straight.

"Yep. That's it. I told you it was here."

"Can we just get this over with?"

"Gladly." Axel pulled his chakrams out, while Kirux brought out his sword.

Axel looked over at Kirux, "You got the thing to mark it?"

Kirux pulled an object out of his pocket, a marker in the shape of the Organization's logo, "Yeah."

Axel nodded, then ran forward at the Heartless.

Kirux ran at it too.

…

Immediately, the Heartless fired some fire balls from its mouth at Kirux and Axel. Axel was able to just dodge, but Kirux had to stop to deflect it before continuing to advance.

Axel slashed at the Heartless's face, getting it once close to the eye. This made the Heartless angry, and it jumped up and flipped to swat Axel away.

Kirux ran up, jumping on the Heartless and climbing onto its back.

He tried to slam the marker into the Heartless's neck, but the Heartless shook itself and he nearly lost his grip.

The Heartless then lifted itself off the ground, and flew straight upwards. Kirux was left dangling from the Heartless's neck.

"Kirux, be careful!" Axel yelled at him, as Kirux tried to regain his grip on the Heartless's neck.

He couldn't, and had to let his sword fade out of his hand in order to grab the tail.

The Heartless saw this, and immediately did a flip in the air. Kirux lost his grip on the tail, and went falling to the ground.

Axel used his chakrams, throwing them towards where Kirux was about to land. He used them to summon a pad that was safe for Kirux to land on, and he bounced off of it and landed on the ground.

Before Kirux could do anything, the Heartless had pounced on him. It pinned him down by the shoulders, and roared right into his face.

…

Axel got the Heartless off of Kirux by throwing his chakrams into its face, just narrowly missing Kirux.

Axel pulled Kirux up, "Come on! Keep your head in the game!"

Kirux just shook his head, regaining his focus, "Sorry..."

He pulled his sword back out, and tried to advance again at the Heartless.

Unfortunately, the Heartless was prepared. It fired a massive fireball at Kirux, and he couldn't get his sword up in time.

The blast knocked Kirux into a nearby wall, and this time, he was knocked out cold.

"Kirux!" Axel yelled, but had to defend himself from another Heartless attack before he could go over to help him.

…

…

…

Kirux was just laying there. His sword had faded away, and the marker had been lost long before then.

Suddenly, he felt something...something rising up in his chest.

Then, a voice.

_"I have been waiting for you...__"_

Kirux's eyes shot open, and then the pain started.

His head hurt like he had just taken a bullet through the skull. He clutched his head, grimacing from the pain.

_"What is...going on...?"_ He thought to himself, still in a ton of pain.

Suddenly, a dark aura started to form around his body. It started down at his feet, but slowly grew throughout the rest of his body.

Axel noticed this, and was stunned. He did nothing, because, well...he didn't know _what_ to do.

Kirux then let go of his head, seemingly not in control of his own body anymore.

He looked up at the Heartless, the anger in his eyes clear.

His sword appeared in his hand, and he raised it above his head.

Axel noticed dark energy forming at the end of his blade, and yelled out, "Kirux, no!"

He didn't listen.

Kirux yelled loudly, and brought his sword down. The dark energy fired towards the Heartless, Axel noticing it disintegrate in the blast.

He didn't say anything. He looked over at Kirux, and you could see it. In his eyes...

That wasn't Kirux. At least, not the Kirux he had known...for a week.

* * *

_**Stop: Sinister Sundown - KH Re:COM**_

* * *

The energy blast stopped, not a single trace of the Heartless remaining.

Kirux was breathing heavily, as the dark aura faded. He dropped his sword, it fading away at his feet.

Axel dismissed his chakrams, then sighed, "Nice going. Now Saïx is gonna be on me for taking out that Heartle-,"

He didn't finish his sentence before Kirux collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Axel immediately ran over, shaking Kirux, "Hey, Kirux. Kirux, wake up!"

He smacked him across the face lightly, but it didn't work. Kirux was out cold.

Axel sighed, "This is just what I needed..."

He picked Kirux up, opening a corridor and leaving Twilight Town.

* * *

Kirux has having a weird dream.

He was wandering through a dark void. He couldn't tell what he was walking on, as it matched everything around him.

But no matter what he did, he couldn't stop walking. It's as if his body aside from his head was on autopilot.

Eventually, Kirux heard a voice call out to him.

…

_"Hello Kirux..."_

Kirux called out, "Hello? Who are you, and what is this place?"

_"You don't need to know who I am, and this place...why, this is you..."_

"What does that mean?"

_"This is what you look like, on the inside...nothing but an empty_ darkness..."

"Is...that true?"

_"Yes...I know what you are, what your fate is, and why you were born..."_

"Wait, what my fate is? What does that mean?"

_"Would you like that I show you?__"_

Kirux shrugged, "I guess..."

…

He finally stopped walking, and suddenly, his head started hurting excruciatingly. He collapsed to the ground.

Then, images started to flow into his head.

And what he saw...it wasn't pretty.

…

He could see himself destroying that Heartless, which he had done just that day. He also saw other things...

One such image he saw was himself fighting with Xion at the castle, her Keyblade in her hands.

_"Oh, so she got it back. That's a good thing, right?"_

Wrong.

The next few seconds went by, and Kirux could notice something...different about himself in that image.

He looked..._angry_. Like he actually wanted to hurt Xion.

And then, it happened...

Kirux flinched physically when it happened, but when he looked at it again, he screamed...

…

…

…

Then, he was shooting upwards in his bed in the castle. He looked around, and sure enough...

Yes, he _was_ back in the castle. How he got here? He didn't know.

Kirux just put a hand to his head, "It was just a dream..."

He got up, sitting on the edge of his bed. He had so many questions.

_"What was that dream? What were those images? And who was that voice? And...do I really do that to Xion?"_

…

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on his door. He gave a "come in" before the door opened.

Xion poked her head into the doorway, "Hey, is...everything okay?"

Kirux was surprised it was her, and his mind went back to those images, "Uhh-oh, yeah. I'm fine. Just had a bad dream."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. I'm fine Xion, really."

Xion was skeptical, but nodded, "Okay. Axel told Roxas and I about what happened, and well...when we heard you screaming, he wanted me to come check on you."

She yawned, "I'm pretty sure you woke up the entire castle with that scream..."

"Oh..." he said, "What time is it?"

"2 AM."

"Ah crap...sorry."

"It's okay, but...are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for checking on me, Xion."

"Of course. Good night, Kirux."

"Good night."

They smiled at each other before Xion shut Kirux's door, him hearing her footsteps as she went back to her room.

Kirux decided to get more sleep, so he laid back down in bed and went back to sleep.

He would talk about everything that happened with Axel tomorrow after work.

* * *

Riku was pacing back and forth now, after what he had just seen his clone do.

DiZ said nothing, just sitting in his computer chair.

"This is bad," Riku said, "This is really bad."

"Yes," DiZ responded, "Yes it is."

Riku turned to him, "What are we gonna do?"

DiZ looked down at the floor, then back up at Riku, "It's almost time. Watch him some more for now, but when the time comes-"

"-bring him to me."

* * *

**This took way too long for me to do, considering its length. Sorry.**

**Hope y'all enjoyed. See you guys next time.**

**-Broncozfan623**


	5. Chapter 5

**No Author's Note.  
**

**(NOTE 4/22/2020: Reposted after document-implementation error)**

* * *

_**Play: At Dusk, I Will Think of You... - KH 358/2 Days**_

* * *

Kirux walked up to his spot on the clock tower. Everyone was already there, talking amongst themselves.

When Kirux sat down next to Xion, she looked over and smiled at him, "Hey Kirux."

"Hey," He said, "What were you guys talking about?"

"Nothing. How was your mission today?"

Kirux shrugged, pulling the ice cream he had bought out from his pocket, "Fine, I guess. More of the same, really. You?"

"Roxas and I just went to Agrabah to take down some Heartless. Nothing too complicated."

Kirux sighed, "You guys are lucky. They only ever send me to Hollow Bastion. I've been going there everyday for the last week."

"Have you really? Why?" Roxas asked him.

Kirux could only give him a shrug, "Beats me. Saïx won't tell me anything any time I ask."

…

"So, have you been feeling any better since that thing a few weeks back?" Axel asked without looking over.

Kirux looked over at Axel, "Yeah. It hasn't happened again, so I guess you could say I've been feeling better."

"I think he means have you been, I dunno, fatigued or tired after fighting recently. You said that had been happening again earlier this week, right?"

"Oh yeah. That's right. It's stopped , thank goodness."

"That's good to hear." Roxas said.

"Yeah. What about you, Xion? Are you and Roxas making any progress?"

Xion and Roxas looked at each other, and both of them frowned. Xion looked back to Kirux, "No, we haven't."

Kirux frowned with them, "That stinks..."

"That's not all."

"Huh?"

"Saïx said that...tomorrow is the last day we'll be working together. If I don't get my Keyblade back, then..."

Xion stopped talking after that.

Kirux spoke up, "But...he can't do that, can he?"

Xion and Roxas both said nothing.

Kirux looked over to Axel, "You can do something to buy them more time, right?"

…

Axel shook his head, looking upset, "Sorry Kirux, but I was barely able to get Saïx to let them work together tomorrow."

He sighed, "At this point, there's nothing that we can do anymore."

"But," Kirux started, but Xion put her hand up.

"Kirux, it's not worth it."

He wanted to continue, but hesitated. After getting a glance from Xion, he stopped.

…

…

…

Axel stood up after a few minutes, "Alright, I've gotta head back. Now that I'm taking care of that Heartless for the two of you, I've gotta head back."

Roxas just said, "Oh...right. Okay."

Xion was more upset, "I'm sorry, Axel. It's my fault you have to cover for me..."

Axel just put his hand on her shoulder as he passed, "It's okay, Xion. Just...you and Roxas need to figure something out tomorrow, okay?"

"We'll think of something. Don't worry." Roxas told Axel, who just nodded to him.

Axel then departed the clock tower.

Kirux looked at Xion, "So...what are you guys gonna do?"

Roxas shrugged, "I don't know. We'll think of something before work tomorrow...not like we have a choice.

Kirux looked at Xion, who said nothing.

…

…

…

After ten more minutes, Roxas had left. Xion and Kirux were the only ones left.

Kirux was dangling the stick from his ice cream between his teeth. He thought about getting more, but didn't want to leave Xion by herself.

They were silent for the longest time. Kirux just watched the sunset, while Xion stared down at her feet, in her thoughts.

Kirux grabbed the ice cream stick from between his teeth, "Hey Xion?"

She looked up, "Yeah? What's up?"

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"I dunno. I just...think I should be helping. Helping get your Keyblade back, I mean."

"But, what is there that you _could_ do, Kirux? No offense, but you're not a Keyblade wielder."

"Yeah I know, and none taken. I just feel...useless, y'know? I wanna help, but I don't know how I possibly could."

Xion just shrugged, "I'm not sure, but...I appreciate your concern. It's nice to know that you care."

Kirux turned towards her, "I mean, we're friends. Of course I'm concerned."

Xion giggled at that, which Kirux retorted with, "What's so funny?"

"The way you're acting. It's different."

"What do you mean by "different"?"

"I dunno. I mean, you've always been concerned about me not getting my Keyblade back. But now...forget it. It's nothing."

"What? Am I being too good of a friend? I didn't even know that was possible."

That got Xion to laugh, and Kirux laughed too.

…

When they both calmed down, Xion spoke, "But seriously. Thanks Kirux. I'm glad you joined when you did. You've been a great friend."

Kirux shrugged, "I try my best. I mean, it's not like I have anyone else outside of you, Roxas, and Axel."

Xion giggled again, "True enough."

The two of them were there for another fifteen minutes. After that, Kirux asked her, "You wanna head back?"

"Yeah."

And with that, the two of them left the clock tower.

* * *

_**Stop: At Dusk, I Will Think of You... - KH 358/2 Days**_

* * *

Riku was watching the computer monitor intently. Kirux and Xion were walking through Twilight Town, just talking to themselves.

He heard a door open behind him, and small footsteps on the metal floor. The girl in white walked into the room.

"Still watching him?" She said to Riku, then she noticed his hand. Then she looked up at his eyes.

He had removed his blindfold. It was dangling from his hand.

"Isn't it dangerous to not be wearing that?" She asked him.

"Don't worry about me, Naminé." Riku said, not taking his eyes off of the monitor.

Naminé walked up next to him, "Riku, that's dangerous. You know what'll happen if-,"

"It won't happen. Not to me."

"Huh?"

Riku held the blindfold up, bringing his eyes away from the monitor, "Before, not wearing this would run the risk of Ansem coming out. But ever since _he_ was created, I think Ansem has moved away."

Naminé was confused, "Moved away...but to who?"

Riku looked back up to the monitor, his eyes fixating onto Kirux, just as him and Xion were entering a corridor to return to the castle.

* * *

**The Next** **Day...**

_**Play: Hollow Bastion - KH Re:COM**_

* * *

Kirux ran forward, striking the Heartless up and then knocking it into the electric field of the heart shaped "window". The electricity caused the Heartless to burst into a cloud of black smoke.

…

He looked around. The area was clear.

Kirux relieved his sword, letting out a sigh, "And that's the entire castle...again."

He sat down on the step, "Why do I keep getting sent here? It's not like anything will change in the time I leave to the time I come back. It's like they're sending me here to waste time."

Kirux picked up a rock, and started juggling it in his hand.

"I wonder how Roxas and Xion are doing, and Axel too. I wonder if Axel is still upset with me about that Heartless from a few weeks back."

"Now that I think about it, he's been acting weird with me ever since that happened. I wonder if it has to do with that power that I used."

Kirux brought his other hand up, "Speaking of which, I wonder if it'll work this time."

He tossed to rock out of his right hand then snapped his fingers on his left hand. Sure enough, the rock burst into a flurry of dark flames. It landed in his right hand, while still on fire, and Kirux immediately dropped it.

"Ow!" He said, shaking his right hand, "That was stupid of me to do."

He then looked at his right hand, "Ever since that happened, I haven't been able to use that power outside of that small stuff. What do I gotta do to use that power again?"

…

Kirux sighed, "Well, I've still got some time to kill. Better do it somewhere a bit more pleasant. I wonder if the library has anything on Keyblades or Heartless. Would be a shame to let those things go to waste."

Kirux stood up, and was about to walk away.

But then, he heard something.

Footsteps.

* * *

_**Stop: Hollow Bastion - KH Re:COM**_

_**Play: Scherzo di Notte - KH Re:COM**_

* * *

Kirux hopped up onto the ledge, and couldn't believe it.

There was someone there, trying to leave the area.

"Hey!" Kirux yelled at them, and they stopped for a second.

They didn't stay for long before taking off.

"Hey, come back!" Kirux yelled before jumping down and running after them.

…

…

…

Kirux chased them until they got to the large lift. The guy got on before Kirux could get outside, and left without Kirux.

"Aw, come on!" Kirux said to himself, when he saw the lift heading to the other side of the castle.

"Come on Kirux. Think. If you don't hurry, he'll get away."

He turned to his left, seeing a smaller lift going towards the top of the castle. Only problem is that it was suspended over the air. The only ground anywhere close would lead to the bottom of the castle.

"No, absolutely not. That's a stupid idea." Kirux immediately said, "But, it's my only option..."

Kirux backed up, "Curse you, Hollow Bastion and your stupid lifts."

He ran forward, jumping right before getting to the ledge. He barely grabbed onto the lift, pulling himself onto it.

But he still had a long ways to go before getting to where the large lift stopped.

This jump was even farther away, but at least he had more height.

"Man, am I gonna have a story to tell when I get to the clock tower after this..." He said quietly before running forward and jumping.

For a second, it felt like everything was in slow-motion, and Kirux thought that he wouldn't make it for a second.

But he did. Kirux landed and rolled forward, right as the guy ran inside after the lift stopped.

"Oh, come on! Can't I get a break?!" Kirux yelled before getting up and chasing after the guy again.

…

…

Kirux chased him to the entrance hall. The guy vaulted over the edge and landed in front of the fountain.

Kirux jumped over and landed in front of him, pulling his sword out while he was in the air. He pointed it at the guy, who stopped in his tracks.

"You were a real pain to catch up to, y'know that?" Kirux said before he looked at the guy for a second longer.

He was in the Organization's coat.

_"You've gotta be kidding me..."_ He thought to himself.

"Seriously?! One of you guys?! Come on, does Saïx really not trust me to do missions by myself?"

Kirux looked away from him and started ranting, "First, he sends me to Hollow Bastion for a week straight, and now he sends another member to SPY ON ME while I'm on my missions! Gah, what's his deal?!"

Thankfully for Kirux, the guy just stood there and let him rant, not trying to escape.

Kirux finished, looking back up at him, "So, who are you? Luxord? Demyx? Xaldin? Tell me who so I don't have to kick your ass to find out."

…

Finally, the guy spoke, "I should've known you'd find out I was watching you..."

"Huh?"

"I was careless in my escape. I've gotta be better with that..."

The guy started to walk towards Kirux, but Kirux stopped him after only two steps, "Whoa, hey! You're not going anywhere!"

"If you're smart, you'll let me go."

"And what are you gonna do if I don't?"

…

The guy vanished, and reappeared right behind Kirux.

Kirux turned around, "Wha- how did you...?"

Then, the guy removed his hood.

Kirux was even more stunned than before.

"What...y-you look like..."

He looked like him. Compared to Kirux, his hair was a lot longer and silver. He also wore a blindfold over his eyes.

…

"But...how...?" Kirux could only say.

The guy just said, "There's a lot going on that you don't know about, kid. So do everyone a favor and stay out of the way."

Kirux heard a portal appear behind him, and then the guy advanced on him.

The guy kicked Kirux hard in the stomach, sending Kirux back and into the portal. As soon as he was gone, the portal closed.

* * *

_**Stop: Scherzo di Notte - KH Re:COM**_

_**Play: Sacred Moon - KH 358/2 Days**_

* * *

Roxas, Xion, and Axel were walking through the castle, just talking to themselves.

"Hey Axel," Xion said, "You sure you never saw Kirux after this morning?"

Axel shook his head, "Nope. Sorry, Xion."

"That sucks. He missed the great news." Roxas said, "Maybe his mission took him longer than expected. Why don't you check his room and see if he's there?"

…

Out of nowhere, a portal appeared in thin air, and Kirux flew out of it straight onto the ground.

It took a second for anyone to respond, but Xion walked up to him and said, "Kirux! Are you okay?"

Kirux exhaled heavily, then yelled, "I've been flying...through the corridors...for THIRTY MINUTES!"

Xion helped him up, Roxas walking up to the two of them, "What happened to you?"

Kirux remembered what had happened, and said, "OH BOY, do I have a story to tell all of you. But first, do you mind if I...sit down. All that flying has me a bit...nauseous."

Roxas and Xion had to essentially carry Kirux to the Grey Area, as he could barely walk. When they got there, he told them the whole story. How he was just hanging out at the castle when he ran into the guy, how he chased them throughout the castle (he took great pride in the way he was able to cross the gap to catch up with him), and when he finally caught the guy, noticing he had the Organization coat and when he revealed his face to Kirux.

"I'm telling you, guys. He looked almost _exactly_ like me. We had the same hair, the same face. Outside of the few differences, it's like I was looking into a mirror."

Roxas looked at Axel, "What do you think, Axel?"

…

Axel said, "Unless there's a doppelganger Heartless I don't know about, then Kirux...it looks like you just ran into your human self."

"But, how is that possible if Kirux is right here?"

"It isn't."

They all turned, seeing Saïx walk up to them.

"A Nobody and a Somebody cannot coexist. It's not possible." He looked down at Kirux, "What you saw wasn't real. It was an illusion."

"No way, man!" Kirux said, standing up (he still needed to hold on to the chair to steady himself), "What I saw, _who_ I saw, was real. It wasn't fake, I know that for a fact."

Saïx just shook his head, "You've been with us for nearly a month, and yet you still understand so little."

He just walked away after that.

"What a jerk." Roxas said, his face having turned to anger.

Kirux sat back down, exhaling heavily. Xion just said, "Don't listen to him. Like Roxas said, he's just a jerk."

Kirux shook his head, "Whatever. So, what happened with you guys?"

Xion smiled, and said proudly, "Well, Roxas and I went to Beasts' Castle, and..."

She put her hand out, and her Keyblade appeared. Her, Roxas, and Axel all smiled proudly.

Kirux was in awe for a second, then smiled with them, "You got it back! That's awesome!"

"Yeah, and you missed the celebration. It didn't feel right without you, y'know." Axel said.

"I'm sorry, guys. I'll make up for it. I'll buy ice cream for everyone tomorrow."

"Kirux, you don't need to do that. Right now, I'm just glad to have it back." Xion said, dismissing her Keyblade.

Roxas spoke up, "I had to let Xion use mine for today so she could get it back."

"Oh yeah! You should've seen it! Roxas went the entire mission using a _stick_."

Kirux burst out laughing, "A stick?! That's amazing! Roxas, did you really do that?"

"Yeah, and it worked too! So I don't care what you have to say!"

They all laughed.

…

…

…

Xion and Kirux were walking back to their rooms, Roxas and Axel having already reached theirs.

When Kirux walked up to his door, he paused.

Xion noticed, and turned back to him, "Something wrong?"

"I know what I saw today..."

"Oh...you're talking about that guy."

"Something he said has been sticking with me. He said, "There's a lot going on that you don't know about. So do everyone a favor and stay out of it." What does that mean?"

Xion shrugged, "I don't know, Ki. Maybe one day, if you run into him again, you can ask."

"Yeah, maybe."

Kirux opened his door, saying, "Goodnight Xion."

Xion smiled and said, "Goodnight Kirux."

She walked down the hall, and Kirux entered his room, shutting the door behind him.

* * *

**It feels good to be up until 1 AM working on fics again, even when I'm back at school.**

**Hope y'all enjoyed. See you next time.**

**-Broncozfan623**


End file.
